Woot Math is an online math program specifically developed for pre-algebra readiness through targeted lessons in decimals and fractions. Register to create and set up a classroom account for students to independently work on Woot Math activities. Although the teacher creates a starting point, this tool then suggests and unlocks activities based on student performance. Lessons include an explanation of concepts and interactive practice. The teacher dashboard provides information on individual and class progress through the lessons. Sign up for Woot Math for 2015-2016 is free.

In the Classroom

Woot Math is perfect for use as a classroom center that adapts to individual student needs and skills. Create your account and demonstrate to students on your interactive whiteboard or projector how to log on and use this site. Be sure to share a link on your class web page for use at home. Share Woot Math with parents during Meet the Teacher Night or during student conferences as a resource for practicing fractions and decimals at home. Although the site is for pre-algebra students, lessons provide excellent practice for any student needing additional help with decimals and fractions.

Zearn Math is a complete math program that provides Common Core aligned math lessons, personalized to individual learners, and based on Eureka Math / Engage New York. Lessons focus on three critical components: deep understanding, fluency, and problem-solving. Self-paced lessons allow for mastery of concepts before unlocking lessons providing the next level. Math Chat lessons provide video instruction similar to a small group lesson. Lesson Labs include drag and drop activities followed by quiz questions. Zearn currently offers K-5 lessons. Test the student lessons and teacher resources for a whole module with NO sign up required. Create a class account and add students using an Excel sheet or manually input student names to receive custom reports on student progress.

In the Classroom

Use Zearn on a projector or an interactive whiteboard to demonstrate specific concepts or use as weekly math centers for student practice. Zearn provides data to target instruction to specific students or concepts needing additional reinforcement. Since Zearn is a complete math program, with individualized lessons for students to work on, teachers can conduct small group instruction while others work independently. Zearn is perfect to use for gifted or advanced students, allowing them to work at their own pace. Be sure to put a link to Zearn on your class web page for students to use at home. Zearn does not support Android devices but will work on all other devices with a browser and Internet access.

This article from Buzzsprout offers a great deal of information about mobile learning and how to incorporate it into classrooms. Discover the importance of mobile learning along with some of the hurdles faced when incorporating it in any learning situation. Read about the advantages of using podcasts in a flipped classroom or as a solution for self-paced learning. Be sure to check out the infographic included with this article that has statistics about the increased presence of mobile learning.

In the Classroom

Share this article with parents (or administrators) as an explanation and introduction to using podcasts in your classroom. Share with other teachers as part of your professional development sessions on learning technologies. Explore these other options for choosing your podcasting tools - PodOmatic, reviewed here, and Spreaker, reviewed here.

Enter the world of Ultimate Camp Resources and find a myriad of songs, games, videos, and more to use at home, at camp, or in a classroom. Then check out the blog for even more resources! If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this tool for the first week of school or any time that you want to experience some "team-building" in your class. Use this site to find games and activities for classroom icebreakers. Find ideas on this site to build relationships among students. Share this site with parent helpers to find ideas for classroom parties.

GetEdFunding curates and collects an up to date database of grant and award opportunities for school systems. Create a free account using your email to search and view available grants. Once you have an account, save items of interest and stay up to date on upcoming deadlines. In addition to the site's very large database, be sure to check out the Resources link for articles, videos, a glossary, and access to the online community forum. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Create your account and explore GetEdFunding to find many grant opportunities. Apply for a grant using the tips provided in the Resources link. Be sure to share with your colleagues as an excellent resource for all grade levels and subjects. Consider creating a committee of interested teachers to divide up grant writing and win money for your school.

Buzzsprout offers free, easy to use, podcast hosting. Sign up to receive two hours of hosting per month. Uploads remain available for 90 days. Buzzsprout's dashboard walks you through the process of creating and sharing podcasts and provides information on the time remaining in your current cycle. Copy and paste one line of code to include your podcast directly on any website.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Even if you aren't ready to create podcasts, share the How To Make a Podcast page with your students with excellent tips for creating any type of speaking presentation. Create regular or special podcasts to share on your class web page or wiki. Have readers (perhaps older buddies) build fluency by recording selected passages for your non-readers. Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Have students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events. Make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News." Have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!). Have students write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings. Language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages and listening to themselves. Allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Have your Shakespeare students record a soliloquy. Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person. If you have gifted students who lean toward the dramatic, this tool is simple enough for them to create dramatic mini-casts without needing a video camera.

Comments

The podcasting 101 information is incredibly helpful for anyone wishing to begin podcasting. It also establishes tips that can be helpful for any speaker (as the description says).Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12

GIMP is a free software download to use when working with images and photos. Features include paint tools, photo retouching, animation, and much more. GIMP provides an extensive tutorial library broken into categories for beginning through expert users.

In the Classroom

Use this tool anytime photos need to be edited for use on class blogs, wikis, or in presentation tools found here. In primary grades, this tool could be useful for teachers to use to edit pictures from a field trip, science experiments, and more. Share the editing process with your younger students using your interactive whiteboard or projector. Edit together! Encourage older students to use this site themselves on images for projects or presentations. Use this tool in photography or art classes. Use the editor to edit pictures to fit styles of pictures when doing historical reports or to set a mood. Use text options for the photos themselves to tell the stories. Have students annotate or label Creative Commons online images of cells, structures of an animal, and much more.

Record a PC desktop with or without sound using free software from SRecorder. This software works only with Windows Operating Systems. After downloading and installing the software, use the desktop shortcut to begin the recording. Choose to view the entire desktop or select a specific area using the crop box provided. Click the red button to record, then use the icons on the screen to save to your computer or share to social networking sites.

In the Classroom

Use SRecorder to record instructions for using websites. Share how to perform problems, step by step directions for any project, and much more. Leave a video message for your substitute teacher or even your class! Create a video message to share with parents about current projects, clips from field trips, and more. Share on your class website for students to view at home.

The Technology Student Association (TSA) is an organization offering competitions, leadership events, and more to high school and middle school students involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. Learn how to join or start your own chapter with similarly minded members. Find out about the latest school level competitive events. The Student portion of the site offers a comprehensive list of scholarship information as well as links and resources with information on STEM careers.

In the Classroom

Use information from this site to start a TSA chapter in your school. Share information on scholarship opportunities and career information with students interested in STEM careers. Even if your school doesn't have a TSA chapter, take advantage of the Competitive Events Overview to get ideas for your own classroom-created competition.

This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers and students learn about coding, and for use as a guide for finding the appropriate tools for use with all grade and skill levels. Nurture problem solving, logic, and creativity. Find resources for just one hour of code or for use as ongoing technology lessons.

In the Classroom

Explore these resources for use with after-school computer clubs or as an excellent tool when recruiting skilled parent volunteers. Turn the intimidating content of computer programming into an exciting learning adventure for all with these helpful sites!

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from October 2015, opens in Adobe Connect. Explore the resources of TeachersFirst to energize and strengthen the teaching of Common Core Math Standards in the classroom. View and explore new resources for lesson planning, student use, and collaboration with a focus on understanding and developing math concepts as well as the use of writing the math classroom.

In the Classroom

Explore the many resources and ideas from this session to enhance your math teaching practices. Take advantage of the many useful Common Core sites to find lessons for use in any classroom. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

Kid World Citizen offers a large variety of resources to encourage kids to become global learners and thinkers. Explore categories such as books, food, and art to find international learning activities. Look for topics on specific countries using the map search. Be sure to check out the For Fun area with links to movies, music, games, and toys.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site for use throughout the year when teaching about countries, holidays, and for cross-cultural literature resources. Choose a country to explore each month using resources found on the site. Learn about your students' backgrounds to find countries and regions to explore using activities on the site. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast your culture with that of a different country.

Mathematical Thinking for English Language Learners contains 14 math tasks designed for middle school students. Each task includes five support tools: warm-ups, sentence starters & frames, word chats, support notes, and a Spanish translation of the task. Tasks focus upon geometry concepts such as area and shapes. Download individual tasks in PDF format using the links provided.

In the Classroom

Although created for English Language Learners, take advantage of these geometric tasks for use with all students. Use the Sentence Starters and Story Frames as models for incorporating writing into any math lesson. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their sharing their mathematical thinking and understanding using Pen.io, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using EasyBlog, reviewed here.

Teach real world financial literacy using Banzai! Learn to prioritize spending by using simulations, interactives, and "choose-your-own-adventure" style situations. Start the course with a pre-test to determine your financial literacy. Then engage in real-life interactive situations covering balancing a budget and paying your cell phone bill, to paying for unexpected bills like car trouble. Student accounts receive free access to Bonzai for life, allowing the opportunity to go back and review lessons at any time. After creating a teacher account, request the opportunity to receive the Life Scenario booklets for your class at no charge (this is dependent on funding from local financial organizations). If not available, print the booklets using the PDF download.

In the Classroom

Banzai is an excellent resource for any financial literacy course, or for those that don't have financial literacy classes as an option for your school. Create your classroom account, and then provide students with a class code to sign in to their account. Create as many classes as you like then have students follow the curriculum including pre-tests, simulations of life scenarios, interactives, and post-tests. The Banzai tool grades it all. Set up student accounts and assign activities based on your state standards. Be sure to share Banzai on your class website for students to explore at home.

Block out all distractions and just start writing with ZenPen. Remove the instructions found on the page (just highlight and click delete). Begin writing without any visual elements in the way. No registration is required! Highlight text and select options to add italics, bold text, or URLs. Use links on the left side of the page to change text and background colors to black and white, toggle to full screen, add a word count, or save work.

In the Classroom

Use this simple tool with an interactive whiteboard or projector to demonstrate different writing techniques without any distractions. Create and save student writing projects such as short stories, poems, and reports. Create study guides before tests or directions for assignments. Have students write a progressive story where they each add a portion.

Curiosity Machine connects scientists and engineers with young people to help design and create projects together. Create an account to begin using features on the site. Discover challenges to build on your own, including categories such as aerospace, robotics, engineering, and more. Find inspiration by watching videos of scientists and engineers sharing their inventions. Share your finished projects as inspiration for other aspiring engineers and scientists.

In the Classroom

Be sure to take advantage of the free educator units offered with membership. Share project ideas with students as ideas for a school science or engineering fair. Share this site with students interested in exploring careers in science or engineering. Encourage students to use a visual blogging tool such as Check This, reviewed here, (no registration required) to document their progress while completing projects. Have gifted students choose projects from the site to complete as enrichment within different learning units.

Assess student learning of Math and Literacy Common Core objectives with free exit tickets from Zeal. Choose from over 15,000 items in Zeal's question bank to quiz students and gather feedback. Create your account to begin, add students and classes. Create exit tickets by choosing grade level and standards to find questions to assign. Students use class codes to take quizzes and earn points to use with rewards such as personalizing avatars. Receive real time feedback with student results and responses. Zeal works on iPads, Chromebooks, and laptops.

In the Classroom

Use these short quizzes to track mastery of concepts by all students in your class or for small learning groups. Use this site to pretest your gifted students. If the gifted students already know the material, allow them to advance to another topic. The quick feedback allows greater opportunity to focus on students who need additional help. Share the assessment with others on your team or even with parents. Use this tool to pinpoint student understanding and difficulties.

TrianCal is an online triangle calculator created for Chrome browsers. Although it works in other browsers, the experience will be enhanced using Chrome. Input information into the calculator using measurements for height, length, degrees, or different combinations of each. Draw your triangle, view information in English or Spanish, and change the number of decimals used by using the links on the top right corner of the page. For full information on using the calculator and all of the features, click on the question mark icon located under the drawing of the triangle.

In the Classroom

Create a link to TrianCal on your class web page or blog for students to use at home when working with triangles. The calculator is perfect for use on your interactive whiteboard to show representations of different triangles and the effect of changing inputs. Have students create an annotated image of different triangles including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here.

Milestones offers a collection of videos demonstrating grade-level expectations for Kindergarten through middle school. Choose a grade to start. Select a video from the different categories offered, including reading, math, and writing. These short videos run about a minute in length and provide an excellent look at the successful accomplishment of grade level goals. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Milestones is perfect for sharing with parents to explain grade-level goals and expectations. Share a link on your class web page or blog for parents to access at any time. Share one or two videos during your meet the teacher night or with individual parents during conferences.

In the Classroom

Share Mint with students as part of any consumer education lesson or course as a resource for managing their money. Even if you don't sign up for mint, take advantage of their Tools and Tips section to find money management articles for many different financial situations.